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confuse

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of confuse

1 to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
  • The similar-sounding words "censure" and "censor" often confuse people.
Synonyms of confuse

addle, baffle, bamboozle, beat, befog, befuddle, bemuse, bewilder, buffalo, confound, discombobulate, disorient, flummox, fox, fuddle, get, maze, muddle, muddy, mystify, perplex, puzzle, vex
Words Related to confuse

stick, stump, weird out

abash, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, mortify, nonplus, rattle

agitate, bother, chagrin, discomfort, discompose, dismay, disquiet, distress, disturb, perturb, stun, unhinge, unsettle, upset

beguile, cozen, deceive, delude, dupe, fool, gull, hoax, hoodwink, humbug, misguide, mislead, snow, string along, take in, trick
Phrases Synonymous with confuse

blow one's mind, go to one's head
Near Antonyms of confuse

assure, reassure, satisfy

enlighten, inform
2 to make (something) unclear to the understanding
  • Stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts!
Synonyms of confuse

becloud, befog, blur, cloud, fog, muddy, obfuscate
Words Related to confuse

complicate, perplex, sophisticate

entangle, snarl, tangle

disarrange, disarray, discompose, dishevel, disorder, disrupt, disturb, jumble, mess (up), mix (up), muddle, scramble, shuffle, tousle, upset
Near Antonyms of confuse

simplify, streamline

disentangle, straighten (out), undo, unravel, unscramble, untangle

decipher, decode

analyze, break down
Antonyms of confuse

clarify, clear (up), illuminate
3 to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
  • A lot of people confuse popular fame with enduring achievement.
Synonyms of confuse

conflate, confound, mistake, mix (up)
Words Related to confuse

lump (together)

misapply, miscall, misidentify, misname
Antonyms of confuse

difference, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, separate
4 to throw into a state of self-conscious distress
  • She was confused by the shocking bluntness of his marriage proposal.
Synonyms of confuse

abash, confound, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, mortify, nonplus, rattle
Words Related to confuse

agitate, bother, chagrin, discomfort, discompose, dismay, disquiet, distress, disturb, perturb, put off, put out, unhinge, unsettle, upset

debase, degrade, demean, humble, humiliate, shame
Near Antonyms of confuse

calm, comfort, console, relieve, soothe

buoy, cheer, embolden, encourage, hearten

assure, reassure
5 to undo the proper order or arrangement of
  • A sudden burst of wind had hopelessly confused the papers on the desk.
Synonyms of confuse

derange, disarrange, disarray, discompose, dishevel, disjoint, dislocate, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb, hash, jumble, mess (up), mix (up), muddle, muss, rumple, scramble, shuffle, tousle, tumble, upset
Words Related to confuse

embroil, entangle, snarl, tangle

agitate, perturb, stir (up), unsettle

clutter
Near Antonyms of confuse

align (also aline), line, line up, queue

classify, codify, methodize, systematize, systemize

adjust, fix

groom, make up, spruce (up)

unscramble
Antonyms of confuse

arrange, array, dispose, draw up, marshal (also marshall), order, organize, range, regulate, straighten (up), tidy

Learn More about confuse

  1. See words that rhyme with confuse Dictionary: Definition of confuse Spanish Central: Translation of confuse Nglish: Translation of confuse for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of confuse for Arabic speakers

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